If you love working with little kids and want to make it a part of your life, look beyond becoming a teacher or a full-time babysitter. While both teaching and babysitting are noble career choices, numerous other careers allow you to interact with kids at your workplace. Through these careers, you can play a crucial role in the lives of young children.

Education

If you have an interest in education, find work as a preschool or elementary school teacher and teach little kids on a daily basis. Not all teachers work in a traditional school setting, however. Seek out a job at a local parks and recreation department or community center teaching preschool, music, dance and art classes or leading special play groups. Children's museums and zoos regularly hire individuals to interact with guests, lead museum programs and plan events for young children. Libraries also hire children's librarians to manage their children's sections and lead library story time.

Health Care

In the health-care field, choose to be a pediatrician and work to provide general medical care for children. Or specialize with a focus on pediatrics, as a pediatric orthopedist or a pediatric oncologist, for example. Nurses may also specialize in pediatrics or neonatal care or find work at a children's hospital. Children may also need to see pediatric dentists, physical therapists or psychologists.

Social Services

Become a case worker or social worker for a local children's services department to help children in difficult situations. In that position, you may help place kids in foster care or make sure their basic needs are provided for. Or choose to work as a child counselor, providing care for children who are facing grief, abuse, divorcing parents and other issues.

Athletics

If you enjoy playing sports, you may enjoy coaching a little league, basketball or soccer team for little kids. You may also teach classes for the kids at a local gym or give swimming lessons at a local pool. Some gyms, such as The Little Gym, My Gym and Great Play, are designed to focus on little kids instead of adults. Sports enthusiasts may find work with a major sports team to plan events for little kids and travel with a few of the team's players or mascot to present programs at local schools.

Entertainment

Those who enjoy performing may find a career as a children's entertainer. If you write songs, you could write and perform your songs and classic children's songs at local festivals, museums, libraries and kids' birthday parties. Those with an interest in theater may find a career putting on puppet shows, dressing up as costumed characters or working with a local children's theater. If you have special skill such as juggling or performing magic tricks, you may find yourself being regularly booked for gigs involving little kids as well.

About the Author

Stacy Zeiger began writing in 2000 for "Suburban News Publication" in Ohio and has expanded to teaching writing as an eighth grade English teacher. Zeiger completed creative writing course work at Miami University and holds a B.A. in English and a M.Ed. in secondary education from Ohio State.

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